The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Day I Became A Potato Pancake by Arie Kaplan, illustrated by Beilin Xu Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024 Category: Middle Grade  Reviewer: Denise Ross Buy at Bookshop.org The Day I Became A Potato Pancake is a graphic novel combining science fiction with a Hanukkah theme, for students in grades 2-3. The story follows the adventures of two best friends, Naomi Hirsch and Ben Sherman. One day they are visiting Naomi’s family garage that is also her mom’s science lab. They are not supposed to touch or play with any of her experiments. Ben notices a new device that is called the “Transfogram”. The notes explain that the experimental machine will transform a person into whatever they are thinking about at the moment. Ben is eating a potato pancake and decides to push the button to see what the machine will do; Ben is transformed into a potato pancake! Ben attends school as a potato pancake and the reader will enjoy the reactions of their friends an...

Mendel the Mess-Up by Terry LaBan Holiday House, 2024 Category: Middle Grade  Reviewer: Rachel Aronowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Twelve year old Mendel is known in his shtetl as "Mendel the Mess-Up" because everything he does turns into a disaster, whether he is at school or helping his mother around the house. When Cossacks invade the town and loot and burn everything, Mendel must turn this weakness into his greatest strength and reverse the curse that was cast on him at birth to try and save his town. This graphic novel is drawn in an old fashioned, humorous, and colorful comics style and is fast paced with an enjoyable story. Readers will be rooting for Mendel and enjoy his transition from Mendel the Mess-Up to Mendel the Amazing! The setting of this graphic novel is a fantasy version of an Eastern European shetl or Jewish village, which is humorous and has some authentic aspects like the family having Shabbat dinner, going to synagogue, going to school to study Torah, and th...

Hiding from the Nazis in Plain Sight: A Graphic Novel Biography of Zhanna and Frina Arshanskaya by Lydia Lukidis, illustrated by Aleksandar Sotirovski Capstone Press, 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jeanette Brod   Buy at Bookshop.org There are as many Holocaust stories of survival as there are survivors. We tell stories of the camps, the Holocaust, by bullets, hidden children, and now Hiding from the Nazis in Plain Sight . This true story is told in a very concise graphic novel. There are two sisters who are musical prodigies and somehow escape the 1941 roundup of Jews in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Taken in by the families of schoolmates, the sisters assume false identities as orphans. In the orphanage, they find refuge in their music. Their piano playing wafts through open windows and despite their efforts to keep a low profile, their artistry propels them into the spotlight. They are offered musical scholarships and invited to perform for the occupying German soldiers. In 1945, wh...

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel, illustrated by Sammy Savos Roaring Brook Press, 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Lisa Trank Buy at Bookshop.org “I’m not going to be here forever. Someday there will no longer be any Holocaust survivors still living. We will be gone. I want you, the young people, the next generation, to carry our stories on and someday tell your own children that, yes, you know a Holocaust survivor. She was real. It really happened.” - Estelle Nadel   The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival is a poignant graphic novel recounting the story of Estelle Nadel, born Enia Feld in 1934 Poland. The youngest of five, Enia is depicted as a joyful child who loves singing. However, her life drastically changes when the Holocaust disrupts her peaceful existence in Borek. The graphic novel, with concise language and compelling illustrations, follows Enia as she survives with the aid of non-Jewish neighbors who r...

The Effects of Pickled Herring by Alex Schumacher Mango, 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy at Bookshop.org Remember the days of trying to fit in, in middle school, trying to make friends, participate in sports and get your homework done? Reading this graphic novel will help any teenager who is grappling with the changes that are happening to them, and the changes that happen to our grandparents as they age. Micah Gadsky and his sister Alana are preparing for their B'nai Mitzvah. As they are learning their prayers, Torah and Haftorah portions, they are also learning many life lessons. This story follows Micah as his voice cracks while practicing his Hebrew prayers, as he worries about not remembering what to say when he gets up on the bima, and as he struggles to get up the courage to ask a girl he likes to his Bar Mitzvah. We follow Micah as he goes to school and negotiates the trials of adolescence. While Micah finds the social scene in middle school di...

Frankenstein's Matzah, A Passover Parody by K. Marcus, illustrated by Sam Loman Intergalactic Afikomen, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org Frankenstein’s Matzah is a wacky, entertaining, very colorful graphic picture book. It combines diversity (a non-binary main character) with a Jewish holiday (a Passover seder), STEM (science experiments and back matter about the scientific method), Yiddish puns, and some moral questions for main character, Vee. Vee is the great, great, great descendant of Victor Frankenstein of monster fame. Vee aspires to be the greatest scientist of all time (not surprising considering their heritage) by bringing a piece of matzah to life, which they then plan to enter in the school’s science fair. They succeed. Manny the manztah (matzah + monster) escapes from the basement and, to Vee’s dismay, makes a surprise appearance at the family seder. Manny pleads with Vee’s astonished parents, “People, let me go.” At first ...

Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust by Neal Shusterman, illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez Graphix (imprint of Scholastic), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Stacie Ramey Buy at Bookshop.org In the author’s note, Shusterman discusses why he wrote this graphic novel despite his concerns about his ability to bring something new to this important subject. While it’s true that there are many other works dedicated to the Holocaust, Courage to Dream is a standout in a crowded field. It is an important read: entertaining, thought provoking, and evocatively drawn by an illustrator who lists his Tejano family’s violent struggles with white supremacy in Texas as a relatable factor in his background. Courage to Dream looks at hope through the lens of storytelling, but is also supported by carefully researched historical facts and drawings. It is told in parts, each delineated by a Hebrew letter, with an explanation at the back of the book as to the specific meanings of each of ...

The Stars by Jacques Goldstyn Aldana Libros (imprint of Greystone Kids), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss   Buy at Bookshop.org The story of young Yakov's fascination with astronomy is told in the first-person, in a straightforward and authentic voice, smoothly translated from the original French. Yakov, who seems to be about age 10-11, has three younger sisters and they are children of a Hassidic family whose father owns a grocery store. Yakov stumbles upon a Muslim girl in the playground, and their instant friendship and shared passion for astronomy is conveyed simply and naturally. The illustrations of this graphic novel are charming and lighthearted, with feathery strokes and eye-pleasing colors. Expressive faces and clever close-ups add to the fun. The plot thickens when Yakov and Aicha discover that they are soulmates as well as neighbors. Their stern-hearted fathers go as far as building a wall between their homes to separate them. The story is plotted lik...

Phoebe's Diary by Phoebe Wahl Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Sylvie Shaffer Buy at Bookshop.org Drawn (literally, on many pages) from her actual teen diaries, Phoebe’s Diary depicts in illustrated journal-entries — equal parts cottagecore-cozy and cringe-inducingly honest — a year or so in the life of white, Jewish, teenage Phoebe in 2006 Bellingham, Washington. Phoebe navigates school (she’s mostly homeschooled and only takes electives at the local high school), crushes, and friendships with her tight-knit crew of drama-kid friends, and falls into horny, teenage love. Eventually, after some character-establishing family vacationing and unrequited crushes, much of the book is devoted to documenting her first relationship with fellow drama-kid (and fellow Jew!), hunky Sam Goldman. In addition to exploring her budding sexuality and her identity as both an artist and a patron of the arts, the journal chronicles teen Phoebe’s vulnerable and...

Two Tribes written and illustrated by Emily Bowen Cohen Heartdrum (imprint of HarperCollins), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org This middle-grade graphic novel is a creative reimagining of the author's life story. Emily Bowen Cohen was born to a Jewish mother and an indigenous American father, a member of the Muscogee Nation. The author's real-life father died when she was nine years old, but in the novel, the father of Mia, the 12-year-old protagonist, is alive and well in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plot turns on Mia's decision to run away from her mother and stepfather's home in California to visit her father in Oklahoma after her bat mitzvah. She resents their sincere but heavy handed efforts to immerse her in Jewish culture to the exclusion of the other half of her identity. The narrative authentically unfolds the raw conflicts of Mia's dual identity as she comes of age and fiercely desires to renew her ties with her father, his fa...

The Librarian of Auschwitz Based on the novel by Antonio Iturbe, adapted by Salva Rubio, translated by Lilit Žekulin Thwaites, illustrated by Loreto Aroca Godwin Books, 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Emily Roth Buy at Bookshop.org The Librarian of Auschwitz: The Graphic Novel by Salva Rubio is adapted from Antonio Iturbe’s 2017 novel, a fictionalized account of the life of Dita Kraus. When fourteen-year-old Dita is imprisoned in Auschwitz, she is assigned to Camp BIIb, where inmates can keep their own clothes, their heads aren’t shaved, and they can stay with their families. Camp BIIb even has a school for children, where Dita is given a special job due to her ability to speak fluent German and Czech: librarian of eight illegal books. The spark of hope the library provides infuses the rest of the story, even as the threat of Dr. Josef Mengele and his experiments loom over everything, even as Dita witnesses the deaths of her friends and family, and even as the real, devastating p...

Einstein by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Jerel Dye First Second (imprint of Macmillan), 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Lisa Trank Buy at Bookshop.org Einstein , a new graphic novel by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Jerel Dye, (with coloring by Alison Acton), opens in Hollywood. Albert Einstein, along with his second wife, Elsa, is seen entering the premiere of “City Lights, A Comedy in Pantomime” alongside Charlie Chaplin. The crowd recognizes Einstein and breaks out in applause. Einstein says to Chaplin, “We are just walking. Why are they applauding?” Chaplin responds, “They cheer you because none of them understands you. They cheer me because they understand me. It doesn’t mean anything, but in time you get used to it.” Einstein begins with his celebrity, then quickly fades, like a film, to the full span of his life and career as one of the most important scientists and political figures of our time. As his wife tells Chaplin and the reader, all of his life, Einstein straddled ...

We Survived the Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story by Frank W. Baker, illustrated by Tim E. Ogline Image and Wonder, 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Lisa Trank Buy at Bookshop.org The field of graphic novels often covers difficult topics through a delicate balance of the visual and the word. In the world of Jewish literature, graphic novels provide a unique way to tell the story of the Holocaust to a wide range of audiences, and in particular, younger readers. The graphic novel We Survived the Holocaust by Frank W. Baker and Tim E. Ogline began with a simple request. “Frankie, do something with this,” Felix Goldberg said, handing the author the speech he’d just delivered to their South Carolina synagogue on Yom Hashoah in 2000. Baker, a lifelong friend of the Goldbergs, worked with the family to create www.storiesofsurvival.org , a website dedicated to the Goldbergs' life before, during, and after World War II, and their life in South Carolina. However, after rea...

Alte Zachen / Old Things by Ziggy Hanaor, illustrated by Benjamin Phillips Cicada Books, 2022 Category: Middle Grade  Reviewer: Dina Herbert Buy at Bookshop.org At first, Alte Zachen seems like a story of a stereotypical Bubbe shopping for Shabbat with her grandson, Benji. Bubbe, living in New York City, constantly reprimands Benji for living in the now: bringing reusable shopping bags, not understanding what it means to be Jewish. Benji takes this all in stride; it seems Bubbe is getting forgetful and rude in her old age. She expects time to stand still in 1950s New York City. Bubbe cannot accept that things have changed in the world and keeps throwing in Yiddishisms and stereotypical Jewish ideas. When Bubbe calls the butcher a ganef (thief) after being told brisket is $20 a pound, Benji reminds her that’s what things cost these days. He apologizes to the butcher and everyone else Bubbe is rude to that day. By the end, it is a warm story between a modern grandson and his aging B...

Chunky Goes to Camp by Yehudi Mercado Katherine Tegan Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org In Chunky Goes to Camp , a semi-autobiographical graphic novel, we follow Hudi, the protagonist of 2021’s Chunky . Hudi is a junior high student with a flair for comedy. Unfortunately, Vice Principal Hyatt doesn't share Hudi's sense of humor. Hyatt decides that since Hudi is Mexican and doesn't "follow the rules," Hudi must be a hoodlum. He accuses Hudi of one “offense” after another and sends Hudi to detention over and over. While we laugh at the absurdity, we also feel outrage against the punitive school discipline depicted. When the school year ends, Hudi’s parents send him to Camp Green, a Jewish sleepaway camp, to prevent more trouble (although they agree that the administration treated him unfairly). Before Hudi even reaches camp, things get Jewy. There are four friends all named Josh. Camp events ...

A Visit to Moscow Adapted by Anna Olswanger from a story by Rabbi Rafael Grossman, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg West Margin Press, 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Jeanette Brod Buy at Bookshop.org In the summer of 1965, a group of American rabbis visit the Soviet Union to meet with Soviet Jews. Rabbi Rafael Grossman, a member of the delegation, goes in search of the brother of one of his congregants. He finds a hidden child. Zev is a beautiful and fragile four-year-old boy who peeks out from behind a curtain. He has never been outside. He has never met a stranger. His parents believe that the only way the boy can stay safe and remain Jewish is to avoid the prejudice on the streets and the ostracism in the schools, where Shabbat observance would be impossible and unkosher food would be served. The Rabbi helps the boy and his family emigrate to Israel. That is the central story of this hauntingly illustrated graphic novel for older readers. The story begins and ends with Zev seem...

José and the Pirate Captain Toledano by Arnon Z. Shorr, illustrated by Joshua M. Edelglass Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org José Alfaro is a smart, mischievous teen who has always felt different from those around him yet yearns to be like everyone else. Unlike other children in his time and place, 16th century in the Caribbean, his father made him learn to read, write, and speak several languages, and let him help with his work as the colonial treasurer. Then the Spanish Inquisition comes, in the person of Captain de Guzman, who arrives in Santo Domingo to repair his ship after an attack by pirates. While there, de Guzman makes wager that he will uncover a heretic before his ship is repaired. When the heretic de Guzman finds is José’s father, José learns why he was raised to be different. José’s father tells him they are hidden Jews who fled the Inquisition in Portugal when he was just ...

 Why Is Everybody Yelling? Growing Up in My Immigrant Family by Marisabina Russo Farrar, Straus & Giroux Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org This graphic memoir is by author/illustrator extraordinaire of over 35 picture books and illustrated books for older readers and novels. It's classified as a Tween or YA [or JB at one branch] in my library system, and appears to me to be a YA book at least. 230 pages, it is rich with artistic panels and much dense language. Comprised of 23 chapters, it spans the time in separate chapters from 1957 to 1967, the author's childhood and teen years. There is so much in each chapter: coming of age during the 50’s and 60’s, made more complicated by an absentee father and confusion about religion… We meet Marisabina in the first panel dressed in her white Communion dress, surrounded with Catholic ritual items yet the text and following comic panel feature Yiddish family members speaking Yiddish, so we enter Mari...